Rock festival

A rock festival, or a rock fest, is a large-scale outdoor rock music concert, featuring multiple acts, often spread out over several days. The first rock festivals were put on in the late 1960s and were important socio-cultural milestones. In the 1980s a minor resurgence of festivals occurred with charity as the goal.

Today, many rock festivals are annual events sponsored by major corporations. Besides rock, many feature multiple genres of music such as pop, dance, and electronic. Some owners of radio stations produce radio festivals that only include bands of a specific style of rock (according to what the station wants to promote). The size of these events mean that large temporary infrastructures are installed, supplying amenities like water-based ablution facilities.

See also music festivals.

Historic festivals

The following is a sample of one-time rock festivals of historical significance.

* Monterey Pop Festival (1967)
* Miami Pop Festival (1968)
* Atlanta International Pop Festival (1969) and (1970)
* Woodstock festival (1969), Woodstock 1994, and Woodstock 1999
* Denver Pop Festival (1969)
* Altamont Free Concert (1969)
* Bath Festival (1970)
* Goose Lake International Music Festival (1970)
* Strawberry Fields Music Festival (1970)
* Isle of Wight Festival (1970)
* Vortex I (1970)
* Roskilde Festival (1971)
* Erie Canal Soda Pop Festival (1972)
* Concert 10 (1972)
* Sunbury Pop Festival Australia (1972-1975)
* Summer Jam at Watkins Glen (1973)
* California Jam (1974)
* Ozark Music Festival 1974
* Nambassa festival series New Zealand 1976-1981
* Knebworth Festival (1979)
* Heatwave festival 1980
* Spring Rhythms. Tbilisi-80 (1980)
* US Festival (1982 & 1983)
* Live Aid (1985)
* Moscow Music Peace Festival (1989)
* Molson Canadian Rocks for Toronto (2003), largest outdoor ticketed event in Canadian history, 450,000–500,000 attendees
* Crossroads Guitar Festival (2004 & 2007)
* Live 8 (2005)
* Live Earth (2007)
* Y Not Festival (2008)

Travelling festivals

A recent innovation is the travelling rock festival where many musical acts perform at multiple locations during a tour. Successful festivals are often held in subsequent years.

* Anger Management Tour
* Area Festival
* Big Day Out
* Curiosa
* Family Values Tour
* Fiend Fest
* G3
* Gigantour
* Lilith Fair
* Lollapalooza
* Ozzfest
* Projekt Revolution
* Rock Never Stops Tour
* Sounds Of The Underground
* Summer Sanitarium
* Taste of Chaos
* Warped Tour

Current festivals

The following is a list of some (not necessarily the most important) rock festivals that take place on a regular basis. Most are held at the same location on an annual basis. Some, like Farm Aid are held at different venues with each incarnation. For a full list of festivals, see the external links at the bottom of the page.

Central America
* Festival Presidente de la Musica Latina (Distrito Nacional, Dominican Republic)

North America
* All Tomorrow's Parties (California)
* Austin City Limits (Austin, Texas)
* Asheville Rock Festival (Asheville, North Carolina)
* The Bamboozle (East Rutherford, New Jersey)
* Big Ass Show (Salt Lake City, Utah)
* Bonnaroo Music Festival (Manchester, Tennessee)
* Bridge School Benefit, annually since 1986, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mountain View, California, usually in October, organized by Neil Young
* Bumbershoot (Seattle, Washington)
* Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival (Indio, California)
* Cornerstone Festival Bushnell Illinois
* DC101 Chili Cookoff (Washington D.C.)
* Diversafest LLC DFEST (Tulsa, Oklahoma)
* Dog Jam (Beaumont, Texas)
* Edgefest (Canada)
* Endless Festival
* HFStival (Washington D.C.)
* Houston Metal Fest (Houston, Texas)
* Farm Aid (USA)
* Lollapalooza
* Manifest (Mexico)
* Marlboro MX Beat (Mexico City,Guadalajara,Puebla,Monterrey)
* Moondance Jam (Walker, Minnesota)
* MOTOROKR Fest (Mexico)
* Pointfest (Mexico City)
* Paducahpalooza (Paducah, Kentucky)
* Pointfest (St. Louis, Missouri)
* Rock on the Range (Columbus, Ohio)
* Rogers Picnic (Toronto, Ontario)
* Rocklahoma (Pryor Creek, Oklahoma)
* Sasquatch (George, Washington)
* Summerfest (Milwaukee, Wisconsin)
* South by Southwest (Austin, Texas)
* Street Scene (San Diego, California)
* V Festival (North America) (Canada, USA)
* Vive Latino (Mexico)
* Volunteer Jam (Tennessee)
* Voodoo Music Experience (New Orleans, Louisiana)
* Rockin' the Fields of Minnedosa ( Manitoba, Canada)

South America
* Bue Festival (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Cosquin Rock (Cordoba, Argentina)
* Gesell Rock (Villa Gesell, Argentina)
* Gillmanfest (Valencia, Venezuela)
* Nokia Trends (Mar del Plata, Argentina)
* Moonpark (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Pepsi music festival (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Personal fest (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Personal en Vivo (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Quilmes Rock (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Rosario Musica Fest (Rosario, Argentina)
* Southfest (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* South American Music Conference (SAMC) (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Yeah Festival (Buenos Aires, Argentina)
* Rock in Rio (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil)
* Rock al Parque (Bogotá, Colombia)

United Kingdom
* All Tomorrow's Parties (Camber Sands, East Sussex, England)
* Glastonbury Festival (Pilton, Somerset, England)
* Download Festival (Donington Park, Castle Donington, England)
* Endless Festival ( [http://www.endlessfestival.com International/Online] )
* Isle of Wight Festival (Isle of Wight, England)
* Reading and Leeds Festivals (Reading, Berkshire and Leeds, Yorkshire, England)
* T in the Park (Kinross Scotland)
* V Festival (Chelmsford and Staffordshire, England)
* Greenbelt Festival (England)
* Radio 1's Big Weekend
* Offset festival
* Y Not Festival

Russia
* Nashestvie (Moscow Oblast, Russia)
* InProg (Moscow, Russia)

Turkiye
* BindikBirAlamete Music Festival, (Istanbul, Turkey)
* Rock For Peace (Barışarock), (Istanbul, Turkey)
* Adapazarı Rock Fest by Adarock, (Sakarya, Turkey)
* Rock'n Coke, (Istanbul, Turkey)
* RockIstanbul, (Istanbul, Turkey)

Europe
* Aerodrome (Wiener Neustadt, Austria)
* Arrow Rock Festival (Biddinghuizen, Netherlands)
* Ankkarock (Vantaa, Finland)
* Augustibuller (Lindesberg, Sweden)
* Baltijos Garsas (Kernavė, Lithuania)
* Dour Festival (Dour, Belgium)
* Down By The Laituri (Turku, Finland)
* Electric Picnic (County Laois, Ireland)
* Endless Festival ( [http://www.endlessfestival.com International/Online] )
* Eurockéennes (Belfort, France)
* Exit (Novi Sad, Serbia)
* Festival Internacional de Benicàssim (Spain)
* Finnish Metal Expo (Helsinki, Finland)
* Firebox Metal Fest (Seinäjoki, Finland)
* FM4 Frequency Festival (Salzburg, Austria)
* Funky Elephant (Helsinki, Finland)
* Graspop Metal Meeting (Dessel, Belgium)
* Green Christmas (Rakvere, Estonia)
* Groezrock (Gestel, Belgium)
* Hultsfred Festival (Hultsfred, Sweden)
* Hurricane Festival (Scheeßel, Germany)
* Independent Days Festival (Bologna, Italy)
* Iceland Airwaves (Reykjavík), Iceland
* Ilosaarirock (Joensuu, Finland)
* Immortal Metal Fest (Nokia, Finland)
* Jalometalli Metal Music Festival, (Oulu, Finland)
* Jalometalli Winterfest (Oulu, Finland)
* Lowlands (Biddinghuizen, Netherlands)
* Karmarock (Harjavalta, Finland)
* Low-Fi Festival (Bydgoszcz, Poland)
* Lumous Gothic Festival (Pyhäjärvi, Finland)
* Masters of Rock (Vizovice, Czech Republic)
* Miljoona Rock (Töysä, Finland)
* Montreux Jazz Festival (Montreux, Switzerland)
* Nova Rock (Nickelsdorf, Austria)
* Nashestvie (Moscow Region, Russia)
* Nummirock (Kauhajoki, Finland)
* Open Air Rock Festival (Wejherowo, Poland)
* Open'er festival (Gdynia, Poland)
* Oxegen (Punchestown, Ireland)
* Paredes de Coura Festival (Paredes de Coura, Portugal)
* Paléo Festival (Nyon, Switzerland)
* Pinkpop Festival (Landgraaf, Netherlands)
* Pori Jazz (Pori, Finland)
* PositivusAB (Salacgrīva, Latvia)
* Provinssirock (Seinäjoki, Finland)
* Pukkelpop (Kiewit, Belgium)
* Puntala-Rock (Lempäälä, Finland)
* Puustock (Juva, Finland)
* Przystanek Woodstock (Kostrzyn/Kustrin), (Poland/Germany)
* Hove Festival (Tromøy, Norway)
* Quart Festival (Kristiansand, Norway)
* QStock (Oulu, Finland)
* Raumanmeren Juhannus (Pori, Finland)
* Rock 4 People (Ceský Brod, Czech Republic)
* Rock am Ring (Nürburgring, Germany)
* Rock Cock (Kuopio, Finland)
* Rock Otocec (Novo mesto, Slovenia)
* Rock Werchter (Werchter, Belgium)
* Rockwave Festival (Athens, Greece)
* Roskilde Festival (Roskilde, Denmark)
* BindikBirAlamete Music Festival, (Istanbul, Turkey)
* Rock'n Coke, (Istanbul, Turkey)
* RockIstanbul, (Istanbul, Turkey)
* Ruisrock (Turku, Finland)
* Sauna Open Air (Tampere, Finland)
* Sudoeste Festival (Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal)
* Slane Concert (Slane, Ireland)
* Sweden Rock Festival (Sölvesborg, Sweden)
* Sziget (Budapest, Hungary)
* Tammerfest (Tampere, Finland)
* Tuska Open Air (Helsinki, Finland)
* Vauhtiajot (Seinäjoki, Finland)
* Vieilles Charrues Festival (Carhaix, France)
* Vilar de Mouros Festival (Vilar de Mouros, Portugal)
* Wacken Open Air (Wacken, Germany)
* Metal Heads Mission (Evpatoria, Crimea, in the Ukraine)

Australasia
* Big Day Out (Australia and New Zealand)
* Edgefest (New Zealand)
* East Coast Blues & Roots Music Festival
* Falls Festival
* Golden Plains Festival (Meredith, Australia)
* Good Vibrations Festival
* Homebake (Sydney, Australia)
* Meredith Music Festival (Meredith, Australia)
* Pyramid Rock Festival, (Phillip Island, Australia)
* Splendour In The Grass (Byron Bay, Australia)
* V Festival

Asia
* [http://www.blackbirdfestival.com The BlackBird Rock Festival, Calcutta (Kolkata), India ]
* Fuji Rock Festival (Naeba, Japan)
* Concert on the Rock (Kyūshū, Japan)
* Pentaport Rock Festival (Incheon, Korea)
* Summer Sonic Festival (Chiba and Osaka, Japan)
* Hohaiyan Rock Festival (Gongliao, Taiwan)

Middle East
* Dubai Desert Rock Festival (Dubai, United Arab Emirates)

Africa
* Oppikoppi (Northam, South Africa)

No fixed location
* Terrastock (historically North America or Britain)
* Endless Festival ( [http://www.endlessfestival.com International/Online] )

External links

* [http://festivalguide.britishrock.cc 2008 Festivalguide: Database biggest European and Worldwide Rock Festivals Rock/Pop/Metal/Indie] December 3, 2007
* [http://www.blackbirdfestival.com The BlackBird Rock Festival, Calcutta (Kolkata), India ]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4097006.stm BBC: "How festivals captured the summer"] June 20, 2005
* [http://www.melodytrip.com Rock Festivals Searchable Database]
* [http://www.efestivals.co.uk Festivals in the UK]
* [http://gospain.about.com/od/spanishfestivals/qt/rock_pop_fests.htm Rock & Pop Festivals in Spain] from About.com
* [http://www.huntswater.co.uk Hunts Water]
* [http://www.oppikoppi.co.za Oppikoppi]
* [http://spin.com/section/festival SPIN Magazine's Festival Coverage]
* [http://www.ynotfestival.co.uk Y Not Festival] _es. Vive latino (México)